Homebody Coffee was spawned by my desire to live more slowly.
I’m a coffee-lover and that was my only form of true caffeine that I was intaking for much of my life. No energy drinks, no pop/soda, nothing like that. My only source of high quantities of caffeine was through coffee and if you’ve had any amount of regular coffee, you know that when you drink caffeine it’s challenging (read: nearly impossible) to slow down.
And in truth, it’s counterintuitive.
For me, coffee has never even been about the caffeine, though. It’s about the warmth, the community, the taste, and the exploration of new flavors and combinations to get something truly magical in a warm mug every morning. I loved coffee with friends, coffee alone singing in my car, coffee on rainy days, coffee at work, you get the idea. I loved making it, smelling it, buying it, and, obviously, drinking it too.
What I didn’t love is how it made me feel. I was told and sold the lie about decaf and firmly lived in the camp of ‘Death before Decaf!’ because, well, I thought everyone had this manta about coffee. But here we were, a motley crew of young, overly caffeinated individuals who were all dealing with the consequences for hours after. For me, it was sweating and shaking. It could be the dead of winter and within a few minutes of sipping a regular coffee sweat was rolling down my back. This lasted long after the cup was gone too. I was also so shaky and erratic. I couldn’t write and typing, even texting, became harder. It felt impossible to focus, like a dog in a park full of squirrels, you know? I talked faster, and too much, and always felt embarrassed by my own behavior. I simply labeled myself as ‘socially awkward’ and went on with it.
Fast-forward to my first job as a teacher. I taught 8th grade English and it was this time in my life when things really spiraled out of control, not because of caffeine or coffee, but because I was living way too fast. Running in every direction, saying yes all the time, and letting emotion and reactivity take over. You can read all about the benefits I’ve seen from switching to decaf, but we’ll round it out with this: I am able to live at my speed.
I hated watching my parents, siblings, friends, co-workers, and everyone else in my life just going through the motions. Rushing here or there and being late all the time. I did not look forward to growing up because it looked so stressful. We’re sold the idea that we have to be involved in everything, every club, every opportunity so that it may offer new opportunities in the future for us. Join that committee, volunteer for this cause, these are inherently good things but when you’re doing so much, you’re giving so little.
You cannot give from an empty plate. You can’t grow great crops from soil that’s spent. While you’re busy, in a hurry, and rushing around to all 1,000 of your ‘things’ you’re never even able to give your best self, the best version of you to any of them.
You’re in a hurry for no reason.
When you live a life that’s not at your speed, mind you I am not asking that you live at my speed, but rather at yours (which you have the power to determine), you are keeping all of those you interact with from witnessing, experiencing, and being with the best version of yourself. You’re a shell of yourself just passing by.
So instead, I challenge you to find your pace. If you’re finding that you’re constantly thinking about the next thing without realizing what you’re doing in that moment, you may need to recalibrate your speed.
For me, I have determined that I want to be in control of my time and space. I love being at home and I want to sit down and look out the window in the morning. I want to cook and eat breakfast slowly with my husband. I want to have conversations lying on the floor with my dog without feeling pulled to be anywhere else. And when I am with clients, customers, friends, or family. I am all in. I am focused, attentive, and because I have taken care to build a day that gives me energy, focus, and a wholeness not often found, they get to experience me at my best.
Those around me get me at my best because I live life at my pace.
Slowly, intentionally, mindfully. And, for me, it starts with coffee. My morning ritual is made right when I don’t spend the next few hours paying for it and when I control the first moments of my morning, my day just gets better. I feel centered, grounded, focused, and alive as I move into the business that is sometimes inevitable.
I’m not saying do what I do. I’m not saying that your life is not chaotic or that you can simply drop your responsibilities. I am saying you have control. You can become more mindful, aware, and intentional. You do not have to live reactively. If you want to give this a try, start with a more mindful morning ritual.
Decaf in the morning gives you all the best parts of that morning cup and doesn’t cost you later in the day. The compounding effects of switching to decaf are numerous but the best is allowing yourself a few moments of quiet each morning with your cup of decaf coffee and you have time, space, and focus to be present with yourself. To think about the day ahead. To just be in this moment of quiet before the storm and know you’re here, you’re in control, and your day is not going to go by without you.
I am a homebody by nature and am embracing all of the greatness that brings me.
Homebody Coffee simply shares that feeling, through premium decaf coffee, with others seeking a more centered, mindful, intentional, and slow life.
